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HAMPTON, Va. -- As part of NASA's 50th anniversary celebration, the Digital Learning Network will host a series of live webcasts with students across the country May 13-21. The series will highlight the contributions of each NASA center to a specific topic in NASA history. The webcasts also will focus NASA's present and future efforts in space exploration.

NASA's Digital Learning Network allows the next generation of explorers to connect with scientists, engineers and researchers without leaving the classroom. Through interactive videoconferencing, the network provides distance-learning events designed to educate through demonstrations and real time interactions with NASA experts.

The 50th anniversary series webcasts are (all times EDT):

Go Flight, May 13, 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. The year is 1958. Nothing would ever be the same. For the first time, the United States sent a man-made device into space. This new frontier of exploration required ingenuity and creativity. NASA's Johnson Space Center and NASA's Kennedy Space Center will host a web cast to re-live the significant past events of these two centers while realizing that future milestones of NASA will be accomplished by the students inside today's classroom.

Astronomy: Bringing the Past to Light, May 14, 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory are combining forces to bring the rich history and science of telescopes to light. This interactive learning event will peer back through time to "first light" for Galileo's refractor, highlight the evolution of the telescope into today's large mountaintop reflectors, and focus in on the present and future promise of NASA's space-based great observatories. Witness the inspiring trek of innovation and discovery as NASA continues to explore for answers that power our future.

Advancements in Aeronautics, May 20, 11 a.m. to noon Fly away with NASA's Langley and Dryden Flight Research Centers to learn about their roles in the development of aeronautics during NASA's 50 years. Combined, the two centers have been studying aviation for more than 90 years. Learn more about this fascinating area of science and how NASA's advancements have benefited mankind.

Propulsion: Past, Present and Future, May 20, 1:10 p.m. to 2:10 p.m. NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center and NASA's Stennis Space Center were built to examine Newton's three fundamental laws of motion through testing large-scale engines used for propulsion, eventually taking man to the moon. In recent years, both centers were key in the development of the Space Shuttle Program, taking NASA from the conceptual stages to the final flight three years from now. As the shuttle is retired, Marshall and Stennis look to a new era of space exploration, taking man back to the moon and beyond to new frontiers.

Wind Tunnels and Their Use in Aerospace, May 21, 1 p.m. to 2 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. You have just put your design idea for your new aircraft or rocket on paper but if you build it, will it fly? Learn how scientists and engineers at NASA have answered this question over the past 50 years without leaving the ground. Take a journey with the Digital Learning Network and see how NASA uses wind tunnel facilities for aviation and aerospace research.